Conan O’Brien Opens the 2025 Oscars With a Sandworm From ‘Dune’ Playing the Piano and Deadpool Dancing

Hard to believe, but Conan O’Brien – one of his generations best, most original comedians – has never hosted the Oscars until this year. Thankfully, that wrong was put to right on Sunday (March 2) at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles with the late-night TV legend and podcast pro opening up the 97th annual Academy Awards with some good-natured jabs at Timothée Chalamet and Bob Dylan (“He wanted to be here, but not that badly” O’Brien jested about the famously reclusive folk legend) and a couple of riskier zingers directed at Karla Sofía Garcón (“Anora uses the f-word 479 times — that’s three more than the record set by Karla Sofía Gascón’s publicist” he joked) and the Catholic Church.

After an earnest tribute to the wildfire victim and the behind-the-scenes men and women who help make movies but aren’t A-list stars, O’Brien returned to his brand of inspired nonsense. Noting that the Oscars typically run overtime, Conan vowing to keep things running quickly and smoothly… by performing a repetitive, goofy song called “I Won’t Waste Time.”

With backup dancers wearing golden wigs in the style of Conan’s signature hair coif and O’Brien prancing around the stage with a baton, it was reminiscent of The Simpsons classic “The Monorail Song.” If that wasn’t enough, O’Brien rolled out a sandworm from Dune to play chopsticks on a grand piano, followed by a dancing Deadpool pirouetting around the stage. It made no sense, was pointless, did, in fact, waste time, and was exactly the kind of daft nuttiness you want from Conan.